Campbell's dwarf hamster

Campbell's dwarf hamster ( Phodopus )

The Campbell's dwarf hamster ( Phodopus campbelli ) is assigned as the subspecies of the Djungarian hamster, or as here, as a sort of Phodopus sungorus - group. It inhabits the steppes and semi-deserts of Mongolia, northeastern China and the Dauriens, Tuva and the Altai in southern Siberia and is not endangered.

The Campbell's dwarf hamster is eight to ten inches long. The soft fur of the upper surface is greyish - brown yellow with a dark dorsal stripe. The fur of the underside is cream - brown yellow and extends to the sides of the body into three brown yellow arches upwards.

The self-dug construction of the Campbell dwarf hamster consists of a horizontal passage with nest chamber, opening into the plurality of vertical shafts. Frequently he inhabits the burrows of other small mammals. It feeds mainly on plant seeds, less insects.

The Campbell's dwarf hamster is kept as experimental and pet; many color varieties have been bred.

• 2.1 Population Density
• 2.2 construction
• 2.3 nutrition
• 2.4 Predators and parasites

• 6.1 References and notes
• 6.2 Literature
• 6.3 External links

Body characteristics

Body measurements

The head-body length of the Campbell dwarf hamster is 80 to 103 mm, the length of the tail 4 to 14 millimeters. The hind paws are 12 to 18 millimeters long, the pinnae 13 to 15 millimeters.

For body weight of the Campbell dwarf hamster in nature, there are few details. Zimmerman (1964 ) gives the average weight close Manjur and the Hulun Lake in northern Manchuria captive hamsters with 23.4 grams. After Herberg and colleagues ( 1980) begin males under natural conditions to be larger than females after 45 days and after 145 days have a statistically significantly higher weight. After Sawrey and colleagues ( 1984) males under laboratory conditions after 35 days significantly larger than females.

Coat and Color

In summer, the fur of the Campbell dwarf hamster on the top is grayish - brown yellow. The hair tips are black, the hair base is slate gray. From the neck to the tail runs a well-defined, dark brown dorsal stripe. This is up to two and a half millimeters wide at the narrowest point. The ear cups are gray-brown, lips and cheeks cream - white and throat, underside, tail and limbs are cream - brown yellow. The hair of the underside also have a slate-gray base. On shoulder, flank and hip coat the bottom of the runs in three brown yellow arches upwards. The top of the paws is silvery - white. In winter, the fur of the upper side is light gray with no yellow tinge.

The subspecies Phodopus crepidatus featuring a brown yellow tail, a shorter dorsal stripe, ending two and a half inches from the tail, a slightly grayer coloration and darker edges on the lateral boundary of the back fur.

The eyes of the Campbell Dwarf Hamsters are black.

The skull of the Campbell's dwarf hamster is short. The brain capsule is relatively large and rounded. The incisor holes run parallel. The bullae are small and flattened with funnel-shaped, bony eustachian tubes.

Way of life

Population density

The population density of the Campbell's dwarf hamster is low and stable. In Daurien the number of catches was 100 days event 1944-1958 on crop fields from 0.01 to 6.0.

Construction

In Daurien consists of the construction of the Campbell's dwarf hamster from a horizontal passage with nest chamber, opening into the four to six vertical shafts. The corridor is up to one meter long and the nest chamber is usually 25 to 30 centimeters below the surface. The nest is made of dry grass and sheep's wool.

In the high steppes and semi- deserts of the Barga Plateau in northern Manchuria the Campbell Dwarf Hamsters also inhabits the burrows of pikas Daurian and in the rocks and cliffs of the Great Hinggan Mountains, the burrows of the Manchurian pikas. On the Mongolian plateau, 160 kilometers north of Zhangjiakou he prefers the burrows of the Mongolian gerbil self-dug Building.

Nutrition

The diet of the Campbell dwarf hamster varies in different parts of its range, and from year to year and is similar to the diet of the partially living in the same area Daurian dwarf hamster.

In Daurien provides Peshkov (1960 ) eating the seeds of 51 plant species resistant. First are the seeds of hair esparto grass, wild leek, irises and Iris Iris ruthenica flavissima and hollow tooth. In addition, the seeds of cinquefoils, cowbells, Thermopsis, the finial Polygala sibirica, Kalidium sinense and sedges as well as insects, especially beetles eaten.

In Tuva make Flint and Golovkin (1961 ) eating the seeds of ten plant species and genera fixed. First are the seeds of cinquefoils, Salpeterkräutern, Pfriemengräsern, Aneurolepidum and sedges. Tierliche food is eaten in smaller amounts, vegetative plant parts almost not at all. So Flint and Golovkin represent over 90 per cent of these filled with hamster cheek pouch firmly plant food or animal health food, however, only 50 per cent.

Of the 51 identified in Daurien in the food spectrum of the Campbell's dwarf hamster species is 36, see also the Daurian dwarf hamsters of the ten identified in Tuva species and genera, there are nine. The food spectrum of Daurian and the Tuvan population of Campbell's dwarf hamster, however, have only four common species.

The back pockets of a close Manjur in northern Manchuria caught the male contained 120 plant seeds and a snout beetle Pacephorus umbratus.

Predators and parasites

Among the predators of the Campbell Dwarf Hamsters belong Owl, upland buzzard, steppe eagle, kestrel, Saker Falcon and steppe fox.

The external parasites include fleas Amphipsylla longispina, Amphipsylla anceps, Amphipsylla schelkovnikovi, Paradoxopsyllus narnyi, Wagneria tecta, Wagneria schelkovnikovi and Neopsylla. The external parasites are not limited to the Campbell dwarf hamster. According to Ross ( 1995) no internal parasites have been described.

Distribution and population

The distribution area of the Campbell Dwarf Hamsters are the steppes and semi-deserts of Mongolia, northeastern China and the Dauriens, Tuva and the Altai in southern Siberia. In China, its range over the northern Inner Mongolia, northern Hebei and adjacent parts of Heilongjiang and Xinjiang, the western extends. The northern boundary runs between Chandagaity in Tuva and Samagaltai.

The World Conservation Union IUCN classifies the Campbell's dwarf hamster as not at risk.

Systematics and Nomenclature

The Campbell's dwarf hamster is assigned as the type of Phodopus sungorus - group or as a subspecies of the Djungarian hamster. Sokolow and colleagues ( 1990) distinguish two subtypes:

• Phodopus crepidatus Hollister, 1912 in the western part of the range and
• Phodopus campbelli (Thomas, 1905) in the eastern part of the range.

Vinogradov and Argiropulo (1941 ), Ellerman and Morrison -Scott (1951 ), Corbet (1978), Pawlinow and Rossolimo (1987 ) and Musser and Carleton (2005 ) combine the two forms, Hollister (1912 ) regards them as distinct species.

The type specimen of the Campbell's dwarf hamster discovered WC Campbell on 1 July 1902 in the northeastern Mongolia and Inner Mongolia. Since the specified location as " Shaborte " is not a geographical place but the Mongolian term for a periodically desiccating lake, the exact location is not known and it identifies a series of coordinates ( Thomas 1905: 46 ° 40 'N, 114 ° 0' O46. 666666666667114; Thomas 1908: 42 ° 40 'N, 116 ° 20' O42.666666666667116.33333333333; Allen 1940:. 42 ° 40 'N, 110 ° 0' O42.666666666667110 Oldfield Thomas described the type specimen in 1905 as Cricetulus campbelli.

The population of the Tschujasteppe, 13 kilometers south of Kosh- Agach (50 ° 0 ' N, 88 ° 40' O5088.666666666667 ) in the Republic of Altai described Ned Hollister in 1912 as Phodopus crepidatus - from the Latin crepidatus " Sandals -supporting". In addition to this population Hollister arranged to also Cricetulus campbelli the genus Phodopus.

1917, Thomas Campbell Dwarf Hamster as a type species in the new genus Cricetiscus. AI Argiropulo united him in 1933 as a subspecies of Phodopus sungorus campbelli with the Djungarian hamster.

The population in Tuva denote Orlov and Ischakowa (1974 ) as Phodopus sungorus tuvinicus. The demands on a scientific name are loud Pawlinow and Rossolimo (1987 ) for lack of description and listing of authors, however, is not satisfied and they classify the name as a noun nudum.

Campbell's dwarf hamster and human

The Campbell's dwarf hamster comes in many different shades of color. While the attitude of the Djungarian hamster is very popular in households in Europe, the Campbell dwarf hamster is much better known in North America. However, in German pet stores it is also finding more and more.

For more information

References and Notes